


Pandora's Box

by Black_Alma



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Major character death (temporarily), Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-26 02:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9858338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Black_Alma/pseuds/Black_Alma
Summary: Many years ago, Bunny fell in love with a bright, cheerful boy, who later disappeared from his life. Or did he? Watch as OC Cassie, the spirit of autumn, shows him what has been right in front of his eyes all this time...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This fic is transferred over from Fanfiction.net, so please enjoy!

RotG Songfic If I Die Young

JackxBunny

I do not own Rise of the Guardians or If I Die Young by The Band Perry! If I did I would not be desperately searching for scholarships to get me through college, and Bunny would have a human form!

North patted his pockets, searching for a chisel that he had been looking for. He had even called the rest of the Guardians to help him find it. Everyone except Jack showed up.

"C'mon mate," Bunny exclaimed. "You called us up for this?! I had plans! I was gonna get a head start on some new dyes for my eggs. Do you know how long it takes to make-"

"It does not matter. It is not Christmas yah?" North interrupted. "Hmm? What is this?"

He held a a card. On the front, it was black, with a splattering of shimmering stars. Written using the stars was the name "Pandora's Box", and cursive writing had the address, 1221 Winter's Peak, Burgess, Maine.

"That's a club card," Bunny ground out.

"Yes, but it has a message on the back."

"Really? Oooh! What is it?!" Tooth cried out.

She crowded over North's shoulder.

"'You all need to come tonight. -Pandora' Ooh! A secret message!"

"Yeah yeah. Look, I know you don't think-"

"Come Bunny!" North boomed. "We will go in disguise. We cannot be recognized. Change into a more...human form."

"Excuse me mate? I will have you know..."

"Yes yes! We go now!"

The sled, disguised as a red Rolls-Royce Wraith, pulled up to a small, hole-in-the-wall club. It didn't look like much, just a bright blue door covered in white frosted patterns in a broken down ivy covered brick building. A window a few stories up was shattered, and the ones on the ground level were covered with rusted bars. However, a large sign above the door read "Pandora's Box - Come in With an Open Mind, and You Never Know What You May Find." It was all different colors and seemed to shimmer much like the stars on the business card.

"Must we do this?" Bunny grumbled. He had indeed changed into a more humanoid form. He had long spikey blue-black hair, and his tribal markings from his fur had transferred onto his tan skin. He wore dark blue jeans and a leather vest holding his boomerangs. Tooth had tried to dress him up in more "club-appropriate" clothes, but he refused. He claimed that if who he thought ran this club was in charge, then she would recognize him. When asked by Tooth who this person was, he became uncommonly quiet and said mournfully, "My fiancé's sister."

Tooth fluttered around. Her hair, with all the colors of her feathers, was bound into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, much like in the military. She wore a sparkling green blouse with blue feather patterns and a bright yellow skirt. She was clinging onto North, who had only changed his clothing into red jeans, a white t-shirt and a long red leather coat.

Sandy was still short, but his hair was longer and blonde, his eyes were golden brown and his skin pale. He wore a white shirt with golden letters saying "Dream" and pale blue jeans with golden thread running though them. He pointed to the door and shrugged his shoulders.

"Yes quite right Sandy! We will not learn anything out here will we!"

Bunny muttered darkly under his breath as they approached the dilapidated building. He just knew it was going to be Cassie in there. The meddling girl he hadn't seen in - had it really been almost 300 years? He hadn't wanted to see her because of the reminders. He stared down at his broad, tan hands. A few scars decorated them, along with a blue ring with a snowflake design on his left ring finger. He rubbed it with his thumb, just as his fiancé used to as his long pale pianist fingers held his hand tightly.

North went to open the door, but someone inside swung it open. It was a small woman, about 5 feet tall if that. Her long brown hair was streaked with blue and magenta colors, which were shown off by her braid, which reached to her waist. She was pale, with leaf and vine tattoos in bright reds and oranges on her face, framing her deep brown eyes. She wore brown leather pants and a bright red silk tunic with falling leaves in orange printed on it. Her nose wrinkled as she glanced past North and Tooth to Bunny. Her eyes narrowed.

"Do you know," she hissed. "How much trouble you are in? It all could have been avoided if you just visited me! At least once!"

Bunny glanced down. "You know why Cassie. Don't you dare think I didn't want to but-" his breath caught and as his green eyes glanced up, his anguish was tangible. "But every time I see you I think of..of Him."

Cassie's eyes softened. "Oh Aster..."

Tooth frowned. "Who is 'Him'? Why are you so upset?" The unasked question was "Why do you not trust is enough to to tell us?"

Cassie glanced at the previously unseen watch on her left wrist and hummed. "Well we got time so come into my office and me and Aster-" here she cast a commanding glance at the Pooka, "will answer your questions."

Bunny looked like we was about to protest as Cassie turned to usher his friends in but one glance at them made him change his mind. North was frowning and visibly upset, Tooth was chewing on her bottom lip and casting worried glances at him and Sandy was just staring at him, nervous for his friend.

Bunny have a huge sigh. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

With that, he stormed past them into the club. It was dark, all dark stained oak floors, a deep navy blue paint on the walls, like the sky just before it became black at night, and a ceiling lit with small pin point lights like stars. There was a bar set to his left side, with drinks being advertised like, Misery, Old Age, and Last Hope. A stage was set directly in front of the door, and it was set up like a winter night with a full moon. A mike was off to one side, with a keyboard and chair behind it. Some musicians were already up there, tuning their guitars and basses, and the drummer seemed to be reading a long score of music, gently tapping to a beat. A shimmering blood red door, standing out against the dark background, was set to the right of the bar and the left of the stage, was his target as he pushed through the crowd. It wasn't a loud club, more of a place to relax and quietly chat then a place to have a mosh pit. Bunny thought about getting a drink, Misery sounded pretty good right now, but with Cassie around he figured he needed to be on his guard. He finally reached the door, but somehow Cassie and the others were already there, waiting for him.

Cassie opened the door and the others filed through. He slowly followed them, feeling as though he was marching to his doom. The office they were in, while being brighter, was in deep reds, oranges and browns, with huge comfy chairs surrounding a low snowflake shaped desk. He sat on one that was a deep blue and sunk in with a groan, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, resigned to his fate, North was sitting in a taller oak chair with Tooth on his lap, Sandy was lounging on a deep gold fainting couch and Cassie sat in a rep bean chair. He sighed leaning forward.

"I guess I should start this from the beginning. Back when my kind was, well, around, everyone knew that we had what we called jiwa jodoh, or in English, soul mate. We would know them when we saw them, and" here he looked wistfully at his ring. "And we would love them. No matter what. Around 300 years ago, I was out hiding eggs around Burgess. I came across a young boy sketching in the woods. He...he had the silkiest brown hair and the deepest brown eyes I had ever seen. I knew instantly that this was who I had been searching for. I changed to this form and prayed that he still believed. He had to be at least 15 at the time and I was so terrified he wouldn't see me. But, he did. And I learned that he didn't have money to get his friends in the village gifts, so he was sketching their favorite scenes. His name was Jack Overland. I spent weeks getting to know him, before I sent a formal letter of intent and a Courting bouquet. It had apple blossoms, aster, white chrysanthemums, delphinium, daisies, freesia, forget-me-nots, ginger, gladiolus, hyacinths, irises, ivy, jasmine, larkspur, lilac, day lilies, orchids, pansies, ranunculus, Star of Bethlehem, sunflowers, and red and yellow tulips."

"Wow!" Tooth interrupted. "That's a serious declaration."

"Yeah." Bunny ground out, glaring at her. "This isn't easy to talk about. Don't interrupt me or I might not be able to start again."

Tooth quailed under his anger. "Ok."

Bunny sighed. "I'm sorry Tooth. I didn't mean to snap. It's just hard for me to talk about."

Tooth nodded solemnly.

Bunny continued. "He came up to me the next day. He stormed right up to me and punched me right in the nose. I was scared for a moment that he was angry that I asked him. Then he told me he had been waiting for me to ask. He then kissed the living daylights out of me. We Courted from July to January. Then he...he.."

Cassie took over. "He went to the lake to skate with one of his friends, a little girl, nine years old. She didn't wait for him to check the ice. The ice was cracking so he grabbed his staff, he was a shepherd to make money for his and Aster's upcoming wedding. He pulled her out of the way, but the resulting force slung him onto the cracking ice. He was heavier and when he straightened up he fell. He couldn't swim and he drowned."

Tooth gasped. North looked desolate while Sandy glanced sadly at the ground. Bunny rubbed the ring.

But it seemed the story was not over. "I later became the spirit of autumn. And I found something. Something you all need to see tonight." She walked towards the door and peeked out. "Right in time. Come on." She glanced at Bunny. "I never told anyone these lyrics."

Before Bunny could ask what she was talking about, he heard the strum of a guitar. As he glanced at the stage, he saw Jack Frost (not Overland why couldn't it be Overland) standing in front of the mike as the band geared up behind him.

*If I die young bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh uh oh*

Bunny froze. It couldn't be...

Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother

She'll know I'm safe with you when

She stands under my colours, oh and

Life ain't always what you think it oughta be, no

Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life,

Well, I've had just enough time

Bunny remembered how Jack's mother had loved rainbows, and on his funeral how this song had been sung, and a double rainbow shine overhead (on a day that should have been miserable, the whole world mourning that bright cheerful boy).

If I die young bury me in satin.

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life,

Well I've had just enough time

All this time, right in front of him...

And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom

I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger

I've never known the lovin' of a man

But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand

There's a boy here in town says he'll love me forever

Who would have thought forever could be severed by

The sharp knife of a short life,

Well I've had just enough time

Bunny, for the first time looked at Jack Frost, no Jack Overland's left hand and saw the green malachite ring he had been given on that autumn day when Aster proposed...

A penny for my thoughts, oh no I'll sell them for a dollar

They're worth so much more after I'm a goner

And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin'

Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'

Bunny laughed hysterically, remembering how only after that day did the kids start waiting for others to check the thickness of the ice before skating...

If I die young bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh (uh oh)

Bunny remembered how much Jack had loved the feel of satin on his skin, how much he adored roses and the dawn…

The ballad of a dove

Go with peace and love

Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket

Save 'em for a time when your really gonna need 'em oh

The sharp knife of a short life...

Jack had always wanted others to be happy and not to mourn him.

As the last note petered off, Jack finally looked up, and saw Bunny. He then cast a betrayed look over to Cassie, who looked vaguely smug. He climbed off the stage, then started to try to sneak out through her office, but Bunny caught up to him and grabbed his thin, pale arm. Jack turned to look defiantly up at Bunny, but that look changed into one of surprise as Bunny swiftly leaned down to kiss him. Jack, after remaining paralyzed with surprise for a moment, flung his arms around his Aster's neck and kissed him back passionately. Aster broke away after a time and buried his face into Jack's pale, slim neck. Jack felt warm tears on his neck, and heard mutterings: "You were gone you were dead oh god why didn't you say something I'm so sorry so very sorry."

Jack kissed the side of Bunny's head, reaching up his right hand to run it through Aster's hair. It seemed to calm Aster down, until he stopped muttering and merely held Jack tightly as he tapped his foot on the floor, opening a rabbit hole. He jumped in still holding Jack tightly to his chest. Silence fell over the club.

"Well that went better than expected!" Cassie exclaimed in joy. "I hope you all had fun tonight." Her expression turned vicious. "Now get out."


	2. Chapter 2

With Jack and Bunny

Jack clung to Bunny ('Aster' his traitorous mind whispered)'s warm shoulders, feeling the broad hands cling to his slender waist in return. Jack inhaled deeply, breathing in the comforting and oh-so-familiar scent of asters, paint, and warm sunshine. ('His opposite now,' the dark corners of his mind whispered 'why would he want one who is made of cold and dark and death?')

Aster felt cold water touch his neck were Jack's head was buried, hair as white as the snow he brought tickling his chin. He remembered how Jack had been planning to let it grow out, to show his commitment to Aster ("Let my hair show my devotion to you," Jack smiled gently as he whispered in Aster's ear. "For I will never cut it, unless the day comes that we part." "Never," Aster vows. "I will stay by your side forever.") If only he had kept that vow, Aster thought, with guilt rising up like lava seeping through the cracks in a long dormant volcano.

Aster arrived at the Warren, where the 'sun' still shone softly, casting a golden light, highlighting Jack's hair. He felt his bare feet touch the soft grass, and he automatically started to walk to the one place in his Warren that wasn't dedicated to Easter, Pookas long since fallen, medicine or food. The grass here was always green and soft, and the plants always bloomed, apple blossoms, aster, white chrysanthemums, delphinium, daisies, freesia, forget-me-nots, ginger, gladiolus, hyacinths, irises, ivy, jasmine, larkspur, lilac, day lilies, orchids, pansies, ranunculus, Star of Bethlehem, sunflowers, and red and yellow tulips. Their sweet smell permeated the air, calming and yet somehow not overwhelming. A small beechwood bench, with carvings of all of the flowers sat under the apple tree, near a small pond that was fed by crystal clear spring. The bench was worn in some places by a larger body, with less wear by a smaller body close to the larger imprint. The bench was obviously carved with love, by the same hands that now clenched at Aster's shoulders. Aster went to put Jack on the bench, but when he felt the desperate strength of the slim hands on his shoulders increasing, he merely turned and sat down in his own spot. He kept his right hand on Jack's waist to support him while his left hand with the crystalline blue ring on it rubbed the back of the young man leaning on him as if his world was collapsing around him. Aster frowned when he felt all of Jack's vertebrae and ribs. He knew that if not reminded Jack would forget to eat while sketching, reading, working or even just thinking. A voice startled him out of his reverie.

"Why" came the wavering, teary voice. "Why didn't you find me?"

Aster sucked in a deep breath. He never could handle a crying Jack. The tears always broke his heart, every tear he was unable to prevent, that he should have stopped. He was supposed to protect his smaller soul mate. And instead, he had been the cause of his pain.

Aster slowly started speaking. "Well, I believe that you remember how I couldn't make our date that January? I was summoned by North and Tooth because they believed that I needed to 'find someone'. Needless to say, I got out of there as soon as I could. I came to meet you at the pond, I knew you had wanted to take Emma there. I found her there on the bank, screaming at the pond. Then I saw the ice." He took at deep breathe, trying to hold back the tears. Jack seemed to start to understand, and so lifted his head and hand, caressing Aster's cheek comfortingly, and rested his forehead against Aster's as well, a position he knew would cause his fiancé to only see, smell, and feel him. Aster smiled at Jack, hope for forgiveness blooming in his chest. "I saw your skates by the edge, along with your staff near the broken ice. I dived in and I...I saw your body. I had to surface for air, and when I went back down I couldn't find you again. I ran. I had lost everyone else, and now, I couldn't even protect you. I secluded myself for the next hundred years, only coming out of the Warren for Easter, so I never heard of the new spirit around. I didn't want to see Tooth or North, I partially blamed them for your death. I knew rationally that if I had told them, then this wouldn't have happened, but I needed to blame someone other than myself. And the only reason I started coming out again was because Pitch was causing trouble again. When I saw you, I...I couldn't believe it. I told myself I was hallucinating, that it couldn't be real. And when I realized you were, and that Manny made you, I became furious with him, believing him to be trying to 'replace' you. That was why I never tried to find you...because I never knew that you were alive."

Jack stayed silent, his long pale fingers like moonlight brushing gently over Aster's cheek thoughtfully.

"When I woke up," he started, "Manny tried to tell me to forget everything. I remember he tried, and I pretended at first that he did. But, I couldn't stay away from you, couldn't pretend to forget you. And the other winter spirits mocked me for it." He smiled suddenly, wistfully. "Winter spirits aren't supposed to love. We are supposed to be cold and death. But, when Manny made me into this, he made me the so called 'king' of winter. The others have to listen to me. So I forbade them from starting another ice age, or killing needlessly. The yuki-onnas are particularly angry with me over that. Then.." He shuddered. "Then the advances started."

Some legends are told

Some turn to dust or to gold

But you will remember me

Remember me for centuries

And just one mistake

Is all it will take

We'll go down in history

Remember me for centuries

(Hey yeah, oh hey, hey yeah)

Remember me for centuries

"What?" Growled Aster. "They tried to seduce you?"

Jack looked at him steadily. "Yes. And I was not happy about it. That's how the mocking started. Meanwhile, I tried to get into the Warren, but it was on lockdown and I couldn't get in. So I stayed at the pond, hoping you would come there, or Emma would. But after I drowned, the lake became forbidden to everyone, even in the heat of summer. I slept until 1968, when a yuki-onna tried to kill me in my sleep. She tried to kill off Burgess too..."

Mummified my teenage dreams

No, it's nothing wrong with me

The kids are all wrong

The stories are off

Heavy metal broke my heart

Come on, come on and let me in

The bruises on your thighs like my fingerprints

And this is for tonight

I thought that you would feel

I never meant for you to fix yourself

Aster pulled back and looked at him in horror. "1968? No..."

Jack smiled fondly and sweetly at him. "Don't worry Aster. I never blamed you."

But that only made him feel worse. How could he, jaded and hot-tempered, ever compare to Jack, kind and patient and forgiving and...

A light smack to the back of his head brought him out of his guilty thoughts. Jack was giving him his signature Look of Utter And Complete Doom© (patent held by Jack Frost Overland since 1713).

Some legends are told

Some turn to dust or to gold

But you will remember me

Remember me for centuries

And just one mistake

Is all it will take

We'll go down in history

Remember me for centuries

(Hey yeah, oh hey, hey yeah)

Remember me for centuries

"Aster," Jack started sweetly. Aster gulped. That tone was never good. "We're you not listening to me? Did you not UNDERSTAND what I was SAYING?"

Aster panicked. "No I was listen-that is to say-I never would ignore-"

A light chiming laugh interrupted his rant. Jack's head was thrown back in mirth, his eyes closed and his nose all scrunched up. Aster thought there had never been a more beautiful sight.

And I can't stop 'til the whole world knows my name

'Cause I was only born inside my dreams

Until you die for me, as long as there is a light

My shadow's over you 'cause I am the opposite of amnesia

And you're a cherry blossom

You're about to bloom

You look so pretty, but you're gone so soon

Jack calmed down and smiled up at Aster.

"Can we just stay here for a while?"

"Of course my own. As long as you want."

With that, the light in the Warren dimmed and Jack curled up on top of Aster, his breath already evening out. Aster stayed up for a little while, just watching. His keen eyes picked out every detail that he thought he would never see again. Slowly, against his will, Aster's eyes fell shut. He lay there, sleeping peacefully for the first time in centuries, with his soul mate dozing with him, surrounded by the flowers of Aster's promise from so many years ago.

We've been here forever

And here's the frozen proof

I could scream forever

We are the poisoned youth

Some legends are told

Some turn to dust or to gold

But you will remember me

Remember me for centuries

And just one mistake

Is all it will take

We'll go down in history

Remember me for centuries

(Hey yeah, oh hey, hey yeah)

We'll go down in history (hey yeah)

Remember me for centuries


End file.
